The 2015 iCAP, chapter 5, objective 2 is "Improve the water efficiency of cooling towers by limiting the amount discharged to sewer to less than 20% of water intake for chiller plant towers, and less than 33% for stand-alone building towers, by FY20." The results of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center’s True Cost of Water Study yielded five action items and two pilot studie
The Red Oak Rain Garden soaks up rainwater, enhances the campus and community aesthetic and educational experience, and promotes well-being for everyone who visits.
Constructed in 2006 by Prof. Tony Endress and his NRES 420 class, a garden renovation is building on this original effort. The new planting palette installed Fall 2019 has earned recognition from several conservation organizations.
Sustainable agricultural practices involve remaining conscientious of the effect of agriculture on the environment. The aim of this project is to implement more of such practices on campus in order to promote growing food locally and reduce the University’s food waste, energy use, and carbon footprint.
Some initiatives that have been taken include the development of a system to reduce phosphorous runoff from campus farmland and establishing and promoting the production of food on campus itself.
The iCAP 2020 objective 2.3.1 is to "Use at least 140,000 MWh/year of clean power by FY25." This objective is about clean power, which is different from clean thermal energy. The responsible campus unit for championing this objective is F&S.
As of 2020, there are three types of clean power options being pursued or used on campus.
The University has worked to restore the 2.7-acre no-mow zone at the southwest corner of Florida Avenue and Orchard Street, as one of the campus’ first prairie plantings. This restoration is designed to educate, beautify, and inspire. It will serve as a highly visible public symbol of our commitments to (1) the historic ecological legacy and the native species once found in this complex ecosystem and (2) campus-wide efforts toward sustainability and carbon neutral practices.
The iCAP 2020 objective 3.5 is to "Reduce net air travel emissions from FY14 baseline: 50% by FY24 and 100% by FY30." The responsible campus unit for championing this objective is iSEE.
Study abroad programs are an integral part of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s education, allowing students to gain experience in a variety of fields. The integration of sustainability into the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s study abroad programs will allow students to gain firsthand experience with sustainability concepts and apply their learning in their respective fields. The University of Illinois Urbana Champaign has established the Illinois Abroad Council Steering Committee (IACSC) to integrate sustainability into the study abroad curriculum.
Toted aims to combat textile and plastic waste by collecting fabric scraps and plastic bags from the Champaign-Urbana community. Our team will then create tote bags using the fabric scraps, and line the inside of these bags with plastic, making the tote bag waterproof. Toted intends to use the plastic bags collected by iCAP to create the waterproof lining for our products.
According to a recent study published in Science this past year, nearly one quarter of North America’s total migratory bird population has been lost since 1970 (doi: 10.1126/science.aaw1313). Window strikes are the second leading cause of death of migratory birds, accounting for about 500-900 million deaths each year. Champaign-Urbana, IL is situated along the Mississippi Flyway, a major migratory route, making it a crucial highly trafficked waypoint for migrating birds.
What better way to prepare for a career in the renewable energy industry than by taking on the role of a solar developer to design and model optimized distributed energy systems for a real-world campus or urban district?
